Primer: ‘The Ultimate Fighter 9’ Finale

When “The Ultimate Fighter” premiered in 2005, fandom could barely
conceal distain for what it perceived were a bunch of reality TV
tomato cans, flash-frozen and easily consumed by veterans.

As it turns out, the show has spawned two light heavyweight
champions, several legitimate contenders and one returning veteran
(Matt
Serra) who pulled off the upset of the decade when he gave
Georges
St. Pierre a Catholic school spanking at UFC 69.

Two more winners will be crowned on Saturday. Plus, season one
winner Diego
Sanchez faces Clay Guida in
what will almost certainly be three rounds of anaerobic
attribution.

What: The Ultimate Fighter: Team US vs.
Team UK Finale

When: Spike, 9 p.m. ET Saturday

Why You Should Care: Because Sanchez
might very well earn himself a lightweight title bid against the
winner of the B.J.
Penn-Kenny
Florian bout on August 8; because both Joe Stevenson
and opponent Nate Diaz need
a flashy win to regain some momentum in the same division; because
Melvin
Guillard is too inconsistent to ever be a real contender but
still has some of the most entertaining fights on television.

Fight of the Night:Damarques
Johnson vs. James Wilks,
the single US vs. UK final. Both have credible stand-up but not so
polished that they’ll practice tactical evasion all night. They’ll
slug.

Pre-Emptive Complaint: None. Free
fights.

Watch Out For: The marked difference in
performance from all “The Ultimate Fighter” cast members. Training
with your own team and coaches, in your own city, is worlds away
from having a go in the pressure cooker and alien environment of
the show.